Garment-refurbishing case



Sept. 25, 1962 c R MAPLE 1 3,055,130

' GARMENT-REFURBISI-IING CASE Filed March 7, 1960 INVENTOR.

CHARLES R MAPLE ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to facilities of primary utilitarian advantage to travelers, and more particularly to equipment for conventional ironing and pressing of garments felicitously organized for convenient portability and expedient use, and has as an object to provide a novel and improved operatively-practical combination of ironing and pressing instrumentalities in and with a generally-conventional traveling case.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved garment-refurbishing case equipped for the ironing and pressing of garments that is structurally and visually simulative of a conventional Gladstone bag.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel I and improved garment-refurbishing case equipped for the ironing and pressing of garments in supplementing association with conventional garment-storage capacity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved garment-refurbishing case equipped for the ironing and pressing of garments in selectively-detachable supplementing association with conventional garmentstorage capacity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved garment-refurbishing case equipped for the ironing and pressing of garments with associated provision for garment storage that is manually portable in compact, slightly structural and visual simulation of a conventional Gladstone bag.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved operative interassociation of equipment for the ironing and pressing of garments with one of the complementary compartments typical of conventional Gladstone bag hand luggage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved operative interassociation of an ironing and pressing board retentively with and for extension and retraction relative to one of the complementary compartments of conventional Gladstone bag hand luggage,

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved garment-refurbishing case characterized by equipment for the ironing and pressing of garments that is adaptable to full realization of its advantages and purposes in diverse environments and transient lodging, that is amenable to production in a wide range of sizes, proportions, materials, finishes, and structural particularity, that extends and enhances the practicality of conventional traveling case units thereby simulated, and that is facile of repetitions use throughout a long service life.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and operative combination of elements as hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevation of a typical embodiment of the invention as conditioned through closing of the case for storing, handling, and transportation.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, on a relatively-enlarged scale, of the organization according to FIGURE 1 as opened to expose interior arrangements significantly featuring the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a section, on a further-enlarged scale, taken substantially on the plane represented by the indicated line 33 of FIGURE 2, certain components included in the view being partially broken away to show otherwise concealed arrangements and alternative dispositions of relatively-adjustable members of the illustrated organization being represented by broken lines.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, detail section, on a relatively-enlarged scale, taken substantially on the indicated line 44 of FIGURE 3, a sleeve component included in the view being partially broken away to show arrangements interiorly thereof.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse, detail section, on a relatively-reduced scale, taken substantially on the indicated line 55 of'FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a transverse, detail section, on a relatively-reduced scale, taken substantially on the indicated line 66 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, detail plan view of complementary corners of the case compartments typifying a separable hinge coaction of the latter Within the contemplation of the invention.

Occasion for the freshening and refurbishing of garments through ironing and pressing operations is so recurrently the experience of travelers, and others, transiently remote from usual domestic facilities and opportune availability of commercial such services as to preclude elaboration herein, for which reason, primarily, the instant invention is directed to the provision of a practical, portable, unitary case constituted as and visually simulating a piece of hand luggage equipped and conditioned to facilitate the ironing and pressing of garments at the convenience and in the temporary lodging of the possessor.

The improvements of the invention subsequently to be described are particularly adapted for operative association with conventional traveling cases, or hand luggage, of the type known as Gladstone bags long in wide-spread use, which, in an extensive range of materials, sizes, finishes, and structural particularity are alike characterized by two, usually equal, rectangular, tray compartments 10 and 11 interhinged at their corresponding long sides, as at 12', to open flat with the compartment interiors upwardly exposed, as in FIGURE 2, and to close together with the compartment interiors opposed, as in FIGURE 1. Commonly supplied with a stiff panel, or separator, 13 articulated on the hinged side of the compartment 10 to close over the interior of the latter in retaining relation with the charge packed thereinto, with catches 14 adapted to interlatch the separable long sides of the two compartments when closed together on their common hinge axis, and with a carrying handle 15 affixed exteriorly to one or the other of the compartments at the long side thereof remote from the hinges 12, the conventional case shown and described is an expedient portable unit of general acceptance.

Ordinarily, the complementary compartments 10 and 11 of conventional Gladstone bags are inseparably united by the hinges 12, but since the improvements of the instant invention apply to and modify but one of said compartments, that designated by the numeral 11 in the views of the drawing, thus leaving unaltered for accommodation of garment, or other, charge the compartment 10 and its panel 13, and since suitable elevated, stable support for the fully open case unit may at times be unavailable when support for but one of the case compartments. is at hand, a feature of the invention is a separable organization of the hinges 12 whereby, in any practical manner, the case compartments 10 and 11 may be detachably coupled to permit of their separation when the case is open and to maintain a hinged interrelation thereof when the case is closed. The separable hinge intercoupling of the case compartments 10 and 11 may be given practical operative eifect through varying mechanical arrangements, one of which is suggested at FIGURE 7 as comprising, for each hinge joint 12 of the case assembly, complementary hinge eyes 12 respectively atlixed to the compartments and 11 for coaxial alignment when the compartments are correlated for complementary closing coaction, and a hinge pin 12 fixed in and projecting from one of said eyes 12 for telescopic reception Within the other of the eyes. As is readily apparent, the separable hinge according to FIGURE 7, or a functional equivalent, accommodates optional detachment and separation of the compartments 10 and 11 with provision for reestablishment at will of the hinged intercoupling thereof, thus to condition the compartment 11 for individual use and manipulation, when and as desired.

In accordance with and to give effect to the principles of the instant invention, the tray compartment 11 of the illustrated embodiment retentively houses a conventional pressing iron 16, of expedient type, in position of convenient availability for use upon separation from its mounting, and a rigid ironing board area, or table, 17, desirably of conventional outline, extensible to use position from and retractible to enclosure within the associated compartment. In an end-tapered length receivable within the greater dimension of the tray compartment 11 and a Width less than the open lateral dimension of the latter, the table 17 is arranged to inwardly and closely parallel the long side of the compartment remote from the hinge axis thereof to expose an area of the compartment interior floor, or closed case side Wall, whereto is secured a detachable clip retainer 18, of any feasible type and construction, heat-isolated, as by means of an insulating underlay, from the case material, adapted to mount and retain the iron 16 within the compartment between instances of its use, the particular location and character of the clip retainer 18 being susceptible of considerable variation, as is obvious. Supported for extension and retraction relative to the associated case compartment on similar, crossed, preferably-tubular legs 19 and 20 pivotally intercoupled intermediate their ends, as at 21, the table 17 is operatively correlated with and for support by the compartment 11 in a manner and by means featuring the invention. In appropriately-proportioned, perhaps identical, lengths receivable longitudinally and interiorly of the compartment 11, the legs 19 and 20 correspondingly terminate in transversely-fixed, expediently-tubular members 22, 23 and 24, 25, respectively, spacedly parallel to the axis of the pivot 21 intercoupling the legs, and hence spacedly parallel one to another. Axially perpendicular to the portion of the leg 20 thereby terminated in a length receivable interiorly and transversely of the compartment 11, the member 24 is iournaled and retained at its ends in complementary fittings 26 fixed in spaced opposition to inner faces of the long side walls of the compartment closely adjacent the angular conjunction of said long side walls with a transverse end Wall and floor area of the compartment, whereby to secure the leg 20 within the compartment to swing about the axis of said member 24 through an arc in a plane perpendicular to the end walls and floor of the compartment outwardly intersecting the open area of the latter. Axially perpendicular to the portion of the leg 19 thereby terminated at the same side of the pivot 21 as the member 2'4 in a length less than the width of the table 17, the member 23 is journaled and retained at its ends transversely of and beneath said table in fittings 27 suitably fixed in spaced opposition to the latter, whereby to secure the leg 19 at one end to the table for articulation about the axis of the member 23 in a plane parallel to that containing the arc through which the leg 20 may swing. Thus toggle-connected at one end to the case compartment as shown and described, the table 17 is mounted for extension and retraction relative to and through the open area of the compartment in reaction to variation of the angular relation between the pivotallyintercoupled portions of the legs 19 and 29 respectively terminated by the members 23 and 24 and necessarily concomitant corresponding variation of the angular relation between the leg portions, at the other side of the pivot with consequent shift of the leg terminal members 22 and 25 longitudinally of the compartment and table assembly. To accommodate shift thereof incident to table extension and retraction relative to the associated case compartment with security of retentive coaction, the member 22 perpendicularly terminating the portion of the leg 19 remote from the member 23 is provided in a length approximating the transverse interior dimension of the compartment 11 such as to slidably engage at its ends under guides 28 fixedly instanding from the opposed inner faces of the compartment long sides parallel to the compartment floor to close against the compartment end Wall remote from that adjacent the fittings 26 in a spacing from the door providing slide clearance for the ends of the member 22 retained thereunder, inwardly-directed ends of said guides 23 desirably inclining toward the adjacent compartment floor, as at 28', to inhibit escape of the member 22 from the slideways established by the guides in coaction with the floor. In analogy with the slide connection just described, the member 25- perpendicularly terminating the leg 20 at the side of the pivot 21 remote from the member 24 transversely underlies the table 17 in a length less than the width of the table to end engage with an span between inturned flanges 29' paired in spacedly-parallcl opposition and fixed dependence longitudinally of the under side of the table as a slideway retentively accommodating reciprocation of said member therein. The coactive association of the member 25 and flanges 29 may be availed of in any expedient adaptation to releasably retain the table 17 in any selected one of a range of extended dispositions, or elevated used positions, relative to the associated case compartment, a practical, simple such adaptation being illustrated as a tubular sleeve conformation of the member 25, a bolt 30 coaxially reciprocable within said member formed with a shouldered terminal stud 31 opposed to one of the flanges 29 through an open end of the member, a series of holes accommodative of said stud 31 spaced apart longitudinally of the flange 29 opposed thereto, an expansive spring 32 yieldably biasing said bolt toward the so-intersected flange, and an actuating finger 33 fixed radially of said bolt to work in a slot elongated longitudinally of the under side of said member, whereby, in a convenient and obvious manner, retraction of the bolt '30 axially of the member 25- against the pressure of the spring 32' in reaction to manipulation of the finger 33 serves to disengage the stud 31 from latching coaction with the adjacent flange 29 for consequent free shift of said member in its retaining slideway, and release of said finger to the influence of the spring acting upon the bolt conditions the stud 31 for latching entry Within a flange hole wherewith it may be caused to register as an incident of altitudinal adjustment of the table with respect to the associated case compartment.

Practicability and operation of the improvements illustrated and hereinabove described should be adequately apparent from the foregoing. Organized in simulation of a Gladstone bag, the two-compartment case accommodates usual garment storage in the separable compartment component closable by the panel 13 and confines in secure position for optional use the pressing iron 16 and table 17 ingeniously correlated with the other compartment component, so that, with the case hingedly consolidated, and closed, the unit is a typical traveling case facility. Access to the garment-storing compartment is had in a customary manner through opening of the closed case, with or without separation of the detachably-related compartments thereof. With the case open, the iron and board features of the assembly are available for use, again with or without separation of the case compartment components, such separation at the hinges I'Zbeing had only as a matter of convenience with reference to available support for the unit including the board 17. Given appropriate suitable support for the compartment 11 with its open area directed upwardly, manual upward lift of the board 17 extends the same from the compartment to a selected elevation determined and secured by latch of the stud in a preferred one of the fiange holes wherewith it is caused to register, thereby adjustably conditioning the table for conventional use subject to the application of the iron 16 detached from its retaining clip. Manipulation of the finger 33 operates in an obvious manner to accommodate altitudinal adjustment, or ultimate retraction, of the table in and from its elevated use position.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garment-refurbishing case having a rectangular compartment bounded by perpendicularly-related side and end walls marginally coacting with a floor panel to define a tray open at the face opposed to said panel, a pressing table length-receivable longitudinally and interiorly of said tray in a width less than that of the tray, a pair of single, complementary legs crossed and pivotally interconnected intermediate their ends in a conjoined length receivable longitudinally of and within said tray, a rigid member fixed in a length less than the width of the pressing table perpendicularly across the end of each of said legs at one side of and in axial parallelism with the pivotal interconnection thereof, a hinge connection coupling one of said members to and transversely of the under side of the pressing table inwardly adjacent one end thereof, and a selectively-latchable connection slidably coupling the other of said members to and for adjustment longitudinally of the under side of the table inwardly adjacent the end thereof remote from said hinge connection, means operatively associating said table with said tray for fullyhoused retention within the tray and for optional extension of the table from the tray to positions of practical use above, in supported relation with, and parallel to the tray, said means comprising a rigid member fixed in a length approximating the transverse interior dimension of the tray perpendicularly across the end of each of said legs unconnected to the table parallel to the members at the other ends of the legs, hinge fittings secured within and adjacent the floor of the tray in axial parallelism with a juxtaposed tray end Wall in journalled engagement with ends of the rigid member terminating that one of the legs slidably associated at its other end with the table, and rigid guides fixed to intrude as opposed flanges parallel to the tray floor from the side walls of the tray adjacent the end thereof remote from said fittings over and in slide-accommodating coaction with ends of the rigid member terminating the leg hingedly associated at its other end with the table.

2. The organization according to claim 1, together with a heat-insulated seat for a pressing iron on the inner face of the tray floor at one side of the table position therewithin and means manipulable in association with said seat to separably engage and retain a pressing iron in place thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 755,103 Boyd Mar. 22, 1904 1,056,130 Smith Mar. 18, 1913 1,161,407 Northrup Nov. 23, 1915 2,475,106 Mohr et a1. July 5, 1949 2,603,011 Plumb July 15, 1952 2,669,641 Becker Feb. 16, 1954 2,729,905 Crozier Jan. 10, 1956 2,875,868 Powell Mar. 3, 1959 

